Treating oil.



J. A. DUBBS.

TREATING OIL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9, 190a.

Patented June 23, 1914,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A. DUIBIBS, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASISIGNOB To ROBERT .1.DURHAM,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. V

TREATING one 7 Specification of Letters Patent. Application filedNovember 9, 1905. Serial No. 286,471.

Patented June 23, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JESSE A. DUBBs, residing at Pittsburgh, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or dis-' covered certain new and usefulImprovements in Treating Oil, of which improvements the following is aspecification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements in thedistillation of hydro-carbons and has for its object the maintenance ofthe fluid at a temperature at which a breakin up of the hydro-carbonoccurs and at which the hydrogen will combine with the oxygen, mainly orsolely by the heat developed by such chemical change or combination. y

In the accompan ing drawings forming a part of this speci cation isshown in sectional elevation a form of apparatus adapted to the practiceof my invention.

In the practice of my invention the hydrocarbon o1l z. e. petroleum oroils identified with petroleum is charged into a retort or vessel 1having a suitable connection to a condenser 2. This liq uidhydro-carbon, if it contains any water, 1s first treated preferably byheat to drive off such water. The water may be removed as described inapplication No. 286,47 2, filed November 9th, 1905, or in any othersuitable manner known in the art. After the water is driven off, thetemperature of the hydro-carbon is increased,'provided the temperaturerequired for driving otf the moisture is not suflicient, to start ageneration of gases which by preference should be free. This generationof the hydro-carbon gases or vapors will be indicated by the flow ofdistillate from the condensing coil. The hydro-carbon can be heated tothe required temperature to produce hydro-carbon vapor in any suitablemanner as by the external application of heat to the containin vessel,by a steam coil in-the vessel or by orcing hot air through thehydro-carbon. The temperature employed may var from 100 F. to 600 F. dependent upon t e character of the hydrocarbons treated. I have foundthat as soon as the hydro-carbon reaches a temperature at which abreakin up or decomposition in' the presence of air 1; ereof occurs,that a portion of the h drogen will combine with the oxygen of airforced through the hydrocarbon by perforated pipe 3 connected to asuitable pump. This combination of hydrogen and oxygen will reducesufiioient heat, if sufiicient volumes 0 air beforced through thematerialnot only to maintain-the hydrocarbon at an initial breaking-uptemperature, but also to raise it to the temperature required for afurther breaking-up. Hence after the dehydrogenation of the hydro-carbonwhich produces water by the combination of the oxygen'of the air andhydrogen from the hydro-carbon begins as will be evidenced by theappearance of water with the other distillate, no heat except thatproduced' by the combination of the oxy on of the air with the hydro en,etc., of the ydrocarbon is required an cold air'can be used forcompleting the distilling operation. It is found in' practice that asthe breaking-up and evaporation proceeds, lar er volumes of air arerequired to obtain an maintain the desired rise in temperature for acomplete evaporation of the hydro-carbon.

It is characteristic of my improvement that after the heating necessaryto start the breaking-up of the hydro-carbon whereby the hydrogen isplaced under conditions no further heat need be applied, the chemicalcombination of the oxygen and hydrogen supplying suflicient heat whichwill be proportional within certain limits to the amount of air sup liedto the hydro-carbon and which will e generated uniforml throughout thebody of the material treate When it is desired to prevent adiscoloration of the residuum or to bleach the latter as in themanufacture of lubricating oils, steam may be forced through thematerial while being treated with the air.

I claim herein as my invention:

1. As an improvement in the art of distilling hydro-carbons, the methodherein described which consists in heating the material to a oint atwhich the hydro-carbons would be broken up if mingled with air, forcingair through the same and maintaining the heat by the chemicalreactionproduced. v

2. The method of dehydrogenating hydrocarbons which consists of passingair through them when heated to a tem erature at which the oxygen of theair will unite with the hydrogen of the hydro-carbon, then continuingthe operation bypassing through the hydro-carbon a suflicient'fquantityof air to cause by the chemical action a desired temperature for socontinuing distillation.

3. The method of dehydrogenating hydrocarbons which consists of passingair through them when heated to a temperature at which the oxygen of theair will unite with the hydrogen of the hydro-carbon, then continuingthe operation by passing through the hydro-carbon a suiiicient quantityof air to cause by the chemical action alone a desired temperature forso continuing distillation.

4. The method of dehydrogenating hydrocarbons vwhich consists ofpassing. air through them when heated to a temperature at'which theoxygen of the air will unite with the hydrogen of the hydro-carbon, thencontinuing the operation by passing through the hydro-carbon asufficient quantity of air to cause by the chemical action a desiredtemperature and regulating the tem erature of distillation of thehydro-carbon y regulating the quantity of the air passed into it.

5. The method of distilling hydro-carbons which consists of passing airthrough them when heated to a temperature at which the oxygen of the airwill unite with the hydrogen of the hydro-carbons, then continuing theoigeration by passing through the residue a'su cient quantity of air tomaintain by chemical action a sufficient heat to carry on thedistillation.

6. The method of distilling hydro-carbons without theuse of externalheat which consists of passing air through the hydro-car bons whileinclosedin astill and at a temperature at which the oxygen of the'airwill unite with the hydrogen of the hydro-carto maintain thistemperature and such' higher temperatures as may be necessary tocomplete the distillation, and then withdrawin the primary fire andcompleting the distil ation by the use of the internal heat produced bychemical action alone.

8. The method of treating hydrocarbons, which consists in passing airthrough them when initially heated to a temperature at which the oxygenof the air will react on the hydrocarbon, then continuing the operationby passing through the hydro-carbon a sufiicient quantity of air tocause by the chemical action alone the desired temperature formaintaining the necessary reaction, without the agency of anysubstantial external application of heat, and regulating the temperature required for the reactions by regulating the quantity of air passedinto the hydrocarbons.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JESSEA. DUBBS.

Witnesses CHARLES BARNETT, CARL SIEDLE.

